Patrice Lewis - The Simplicity Primer

{ THE } SIMPLICITY PRIMER

365 Ideas for Making Life More Livable

PATRICE LEWIS

The Simplicity Primer

WND Books

Published by WorldNetDaily

Washington, D.C.

Copyright 2011 Patrice Lewis

Jacket Design by Mark Karis
Interior Design by Neuwirth & Associates

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First Edition

ISBN 13 Digit: 978-1-936488-28-5

Library of Congress information available

Printed in the United States of America

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To God, for my many blessings;
To my parents, who raised me;
To my children, who inspire me;
To my publisher, who believed in me;
And to my husband, who has spent the last twenty years
treating me in the manner to which I have become
happily, nay blissfully, accustomed.

SO MANY PEOPLE were instrumental in writing this book that its hard to know who to thank first.

My children were far more patient with me than I probably deserved, displaying unusual maturity and understanding for the hours I spent hunched over the keyboard. I heard few complaints beyond an occasional wistful, When will your book be done, mom?

My husband was an absolute paragon of patience, love, and support throughout the entire procedure. He was my sounding board, my idea supplier when I ran dry, my shoulder to cry on, and my biggest cheerleader. Is it any wonder why Im crazy about this guy?

My parents applauded when they heard I had a book coming out. To them I can attribute much of the wisdom found in these pages. In their fifty-plus years of marriage, they embody so many principles of a simple life that all I had to do was harvest their insight. Mom and Dad, I love you.

To our pastor, David Spike Shine, whose wisdom, staunch guidance, fabulous sermons, and general all-around niceness (and occasional ice-cream treats) has aided our family in spiritual growth on an exponential scale. Spike, dont ever retire.

To my writers groupswhat fabulous gatherings of lovers of the written word! I thank you all so much for your support.

To my friends Debra, Patty, and Wendy. My goodness, ladies, for how many years have you been urging me on my way? Youve given me friendship, support, ideas, critiques, and inspiration. Id be lost without you. I love you all to pieces.

To my agent, Sammie Justesen, who held my hand and listened to me whimper more times than I should have. Some people think that literary agents lead lives of glamour, but Im here to tell you that they have to put up with a lot of whiny, insecure writers for clients. Thanks, Sammie, for doing your job so well.

Last but not least, to the Lord above for everything I have.

FOR A LOT of people, there comes a moment of truth when we realize our lives are too complex. Mine came in a traffic jam. There was a terrible accident on the highway during the morning commute. What was normally a half hours drive turned into two hours.

I arrived at work exhausted and irritable and very late. I wasnt at all ready for an eight-hour day and the commute home. My job had lost its sparkle. The city had lost its excitement. The days were too full, the weekends crammed with what couldnt get done during the rest of the week. It was time for a change.

My husband and I were newly wed and ready to get out. We wanted a simpler life. We started assessing our jobs, where we lived, what we did. We took a leap of faith and left California. We moved to semi-rural Oregon where I went to graduate school, and my husband looked for a job. Life would be simple, we thought.

So there we were, unemployed and living in a house that could only charitably be called a shack (its what newlyweds could afford). But it was on four acres, and we thought we were living in paradise. However, if we imagined our lives would be simpler as a result of leaving California, we were gravely mistaken.

Unable to find work, my husband started a home woodcraft business. It took five months before he was ready to start selling. Five months of no paycheck. Five months of me accruing expenses in full-time grad school. Five months of gnawing our fingernails and praying we could make our business succeed. Because if it didnt, it was back to the commute again.

It took a long, long time, but it worked. Eighteen years later were still in business. We have two children, live on a twentyacre homestead, work at home, and are living a truly simple life. Along the way, we learned what simplicity is and what it isnt.

To some people, you cant live simply without reverting to the lifestyle of the pioneers, complete with a hand pump on the well and kerosene lamps (though I dont see a rush to embrace corsets). Others feel you must engage in chanting (to raise your consciousness), eating a family meal in utter silence (so you can connect with each other on an inner level), beating the tar out of your pillows (after first bowing gently to your inner self and to the universe), or otherwise contemplating your navel.

But I believe simplicity is well, simpler than that. Simplicity is merely making good choices. Thats it.

As the years went by and the economy around us boomed and then went bust, we realized a secondary benefit to simplicity: it has allowed us to stay stable and calm in a chaotic, complicated economy and culture.

This book is not about our journey, though I use examples from our lives. Rather, it is about some of the practical and simplifying things weve learned on the trip. It is written with families in mind, and geared toward women (though men will certainly benefit from the advice).

If you hope that the contents of this book will give you fast and easy answers to your complex life, youll be mistaken. Scaling down and making your life simple is not easy. It is, however, worth it.

If theres one thing with which I have no patience, its simplicity advice that borders on new-age psychobabble and impractical nonsense. Juice fasts and tree hugging will not appreciably simplify your life. Getting out of debt and strengthening your marriage will.

This book is intensely practical. Yon wont find suggestions to get in touch with your inner-whatever. Instead youll find advice on being frugal, cutting the clutter, and strengthening your family relationships.

This book is called The Simplicity Primer: 365 Ideas for Making Life More Livable because its a primer for doing practical, sensible things to simplify your life. It addresses not just the mechanics of living simply, but the mind-set: Dealing with modes of thought and behavior that can help you reach your goal of simplifying your life.

Simplifying your life doesnt necessarily mean your life will be less busy. You might be working hard, but youll be enjoying it more.

You will find that many of the suggestions require a change in your behavior. Many require a change in attitude. Some of these suggestions will be difficult or may even seem offensive. However,